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Francois's Birth
Francois Duvalier was born in Port-au-Prince in 1907, he is the son of Duval Duvalier. His dad was a a justice of the peace, and baker Ulyssia Abraham. His aunt, Madame Florestal, raised him. -
United States Occupation of Haiti
The United States occupation of Haiti, which began in 1915, left a powerful impression on Duvalier. He was also aware of the political power of the poor black majority and their resentment against the tiny mulatto elite. Duvalier supported Pan-African ideals and became involved in the négritude movement of Haitian author Jean Price-Mars, both of which led to his advocacy of Haitian Vodou. -
Francois's Schooling
He completed his medical degree from the university of Hatia in 1934. I don’t know why because he was a president of Hatia for two terms. Even though Francois Duvalier was a precedent he also served as staff physician at several local hospitals. -
Francois and the National Public Health Service
In 1946, Francois Duvalier aligned himself with President Dumarsais Estimé. Francois Duvalier was then appointed Director General of the National Public Health Service. This was big for Francois Duvalier because he was starting to learn the ropes of being a person in charge. -
Campaigning for President
1954, Duvalier decided not to go down the medicine path. Francois Duvalier was hiding in Haiti's countryside from the Magloire regime. In 1956, the Magloire government was failing, and although he was still hiding, Duvalier announced his candidacy to replace him as president. -
Fight to Win
There where 2 people in the 1957 campaign for the presidency were Duvalier and Louis Déjoie. Louis Déjoie was a landowner and industrialist from the north. During their campaigning, Haiti was ruled by five temporary administrations, none lasting longer than a few months. Duvalier promised to rebuild and renew the country and rural Haiti solidly supported him as did the military. -
Francois as President
Francois Duvalier was elected president in 1957. This was big for him because this would be his first time holding a governmental position. He was the 32nd president of Hatia, then once his term ended he was reelected in 1961. -
Creating the Haitian Constitution
After being elected president in 1957, Duvalier exiled most of the major supporters of Déjoie. He had a new constitution adopted that year. Duvalier promoted and installed members of the black majority in the civil service and the army. In July 1958, three exiled Haitian army officers and five American mercenaries landed in Haiti and tried to overthrow Duvalier; all were killed. -
Creating the Rural Militia
In 1959, Francois Duvalier created a rural militia, the Milice de Volontaires de la Sécurité Nationale. Here it is in english Militia of National Security Volunteers, it is commonly referred to as the Tonton Macoute after a Haitian Creole bogeyman. To extend and bolster support for the regime in the countryside. The Macoute, which by 1961 was twice as big as the army, never developed into a real military force but was more than just a secret police. -
Francois Duvalier's heart attack
On 24 May 1959, Francois Duvalier suffered a massive heart attack, possibly because of a overdose. He had been a diabetic since early adulthood and also suffered from heart disease and associated circulatory problems. During the heart attack, he was unresponsive for nine hours. His physician believed that he had suffered neurological damage during these events, harming his mental health and perhaps explaining his subsequent actions.
